Mail-bag crane



(No Model.)

W. L. HATFIELD. MAIL BAG CRANE.

No. 604,115. Patented May 17,1898.

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WVILLIAM L. HATFIELD, OF GREEN FORK, INDIANA.

MAIL-BAG CRANE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,115, dated May 17,1898.

I Application filed August 25, 1897. Serial No. 649,438 (No model.)

T on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. HATFIELD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Green Fork, in the county of Wayne and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Cranes, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to cranes which are used to support the mail-bagsin position to be caught by a passing train at places along the railroadwhere the train does not stop, but where the mail is to be taken aboardthe train; and the object of the invention is to provide a support forthe bag which will be [5 capable of yielding and swinging around in thedirection of the movement of the train when the bag is struck by thegripper on the mail-car in order to prevent injury to the bag. Theobject, moreover, is to provide such a yielding crane which will also beable to resist the pressure of the wind without being blown out of reachof the gripper.

I accomplish the objects of the invention by the mechanism illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a view in perspectiveof my improved crane in operative position by the side of arailroad-track with a mail-bag supported by the crane. One of thediagonal braces in 0 this view is broken away to show the underlyingparts. Fig. 2 is a detail of the post, showing the ball-bearing for thesupport of the post; and Fig. 3 is a detail end View of the top arm ofthe crane, showing the fasten 3 5 ing for holding the bag and showing amailbag in place on the arm.

Similar letters refer to like parts throughout the several views of thedrawings.

. A are stringers, which serve also as cross- 0 ties for the rails A.

B is a base-plate which rests on the middle stringer. It has a socket inits upper side.

0 is the main post, and consists, preferably, of a suitable length ofiron pipe, to the lower 5 end of which a cast-iron toe C is fastened.This toe enters the socket in the base-plate B. Suitable runs are formedin the baseplate and toe for the balls 0 whereby a ballbearing isprovided for the post 0.

Dare four diagonal braces the upper ends of which are fastened to thecollar E and the lower ends of which rest on the stringers A in themanner as shown, whereby a second and elevated support is provided forthe post 0. The lower ends of the diagonal braces are connected'with thebase 13 by the horizontal bars or tubes F. The lower ends of thediagonal braces are spiked or bolted to the stringers in the manner asclearly shown in Fig. 1. The diagonal braces will preferably beconstructed from iron pipe and will each be in two sections united bythe threaded unions D, whereby the length of the braces can be adjustedto insure the vertical position of the post 0. The collar E has aninside run concentric with the opening for the post 0, within which theballs 61 are placed and ball-bearings thereby provided between thecollar and the post.

G is a bar passing transversely through the post 0 and extending anequal length on each side of said post.

II are a pair of springs, here shown as spiral springs, whicharepreferable and which connect the two ends of the bar G with a fixedpoint, here shown as the diagonal brace on the side of the post next tothe railway-track. The connection of the springs with the bar G is bymeans of: eyebolts G, the threaded stems of which are projected throughholes in the bar and are held by the nuts g on the threaded bolts. Thisfastening provides means for regulating the tension of the springs. Thesprings will be sufficiently strong to resist the pressure of the windor air pressure created by the suction of the rapidlymoving train, butwill yield under the force of the gripper on the mail-car when thelatter comes in contact with the mail-bag and by allowing the post toswing around will prevent the tearing of the bag.

J is the top arm of the crane and is pivotally secured to the upper endof the post 0. One end is provided with a fastener to engage and holdthe mail-bag, which will be hereinafter described, and the other end,which is projected to a considerable distance on the opposite side ofthe post 0, will be weighted, thereby causing the end of the arm towhich the bag is fastened to swing up. K is a second arm which ispreferably pivotally secured to the post a convenient distance below thetop arm to allow a mail-bag to be suspended between the two arms. Thearm the arm in each case and through the two bars. This forms a doubleclamp (one for each direction of movement of the trains) and the ringsof the mail-bag are caught in the clamp on the side opposite theapproaching train.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and wishto secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A vertical, revoluble post having arms to support the mail-bag in thepath of the gripper-arm of a passing mail-car and having a pair ofsprings of predetermined resistance attached to fixed supports outsideof the post and to opposite sides of the post to hold the post againstrotation from any force below the predetermined resistance of thesprings.

2. A vertical, revoluble post mounted on ball-bearings and having armsto support a mail-bag in the path of the gripper-arm of a passingmail-car, a pair of arms secured to the post on opposite sides from eachother and a pair of springs connecting the ends of the arms with a fixedsupport, all substantially as shown.

3. A vertical,revoluble,tubular post a baseplate to support the post andhaving ballbearings between the plate and the post, a collar above thebase-plate supported by diagonal braces and having ball-bearing contactwith the post, a bar passing transversely through the post, spiralsprings connected by eyebolts with the ends of the bar, the oppositeends of the springs being fastened to a fixed support, and armsprojected laterally from the top portion of the post whereby amail-bagsupported by said arms will cross the path of the gripper-arm of apassing mail-car, all substantially as described and for the purposesspecified.

4. The combination, with a vertical, revoluble post held by springsagainst rotation up to a predetermined resistance, of arms to hold amail-bag in the path of the' gripperarm of a passing car, and clamps onthe ends of the arms consisting of an upper and lower plate of springmetal with meeting outer ends, fastened to the arm by a bolt passingthrough the arm and through the upper and lower plate, substantially asshown.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand-and seal this 21st day ofAugust, A. D. 1897.

WILLIAM L. HATFIELD.

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